CAR T-cell Therapy Patient Stories

The CAR T-cell Chicago Story: One Year Later

After many treatments for stage 3 diffuse B-cell lymphoma failed, Scott McIntyre of South Bend, Ind., became the first patient to undergo CAR T-cell therapy in a clinical trial at the University of Chicago Medicine. Today, the 53-year-old truck dealer has no signs of any remaining cancer.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Scott MacIntyre is a busy guy. He works at a company he co-owns called Shamrock Truck Sales. You would never guess by looking at him that he very nearly died because of cancer just two years ago.

At the time, basically we had a life expectancy of about six months, but then in the very first part of 2016, we got a call where I was able to harvest my T cells, and it became my turn. So in March of 2016, I was able to receive CAR T treatment.

Scott was one of the first people to receive CAR T cell therapy as a trial. He was at a point in his fight with cancer where he had no other options, but CAR T gave him a chance. Michael Bishop is one of the doctors who provided care to Scott.

You pray for that every day as an oncologist, that you can deliver that kind of, give that kind of care, and give that kind of treatment to a patient. So to say that I'm excited would be a major understatement.

In the first part of the process, T cells, the workhorse of the immune system, are collected from the patient's blood. Then, scientists insert instructions that enable those T cells to find specific cancer cells. While the T cells multiply in the lab, the patient receives chemotherapy to reduce the number of cancer cells. And finally, the engineered T cells are returned to the patient's bloodstream where they seek out and kill remaining cancer cells.

Really, what it does is program the cells to be specific for the cancer, because we know our immune system is capable of eliminating cancer, but sometimes it needs to be more specific and go towards the cancer itself.

Next scan, lo and behold, cancer free. We've gone to remission. So I've been in remission now for about 15 months. Every month, it gets better and better. My strength has come back, my stamina's come back. Basically, I'm back living my full life again, enjoying things I like to enjoy. So it's just absolutely been a miracle, and I owe so much to the team at University of Chicago.

Scott and his wife Cindy have spent a lot of time in hospitals in recent years, and they're happy to be back at work at their business and back to a normal life with a chance at a happy future ahead.

The care at University of Chicago Hospital was absolutely phenomenal. Spent a lot of time on the tenth floor, of course, up there at 10th East and everybody was so professional and so, just, compassionate with it.

That's what our purpose here is, is we want to bring new and innovative therapies that improve the lives and, particularly, the quality of life for our patients.

Motivating a Malignant Immune System: Andrew's Story

For Andrew Parker of Ann Arbor, Mich., conventional treatment was not effective against acute lymphoblastic leukemia. After CAR T-cell therapy, the cancer is in complete remission. Listen to an interview with Parker and read more about his story.

A Big Win Over Leukemia: CAR T-cell Therapy

Thanks to CAR T-cell therapy, Sam Tinaglia's future looks bright as he starts his first year of college. View a video of Sam's story below and read more.

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